Mowing :
Mow frequently as the weather will allow, but be sure your blades are sharp and don’t mow too short! A good rule of thumb is to follow the “one-third rule”, meaning: “Never cut more than 1/3 of your grass height at the time”.
Mowing high forces the grass roots to grow deep, and the deeper the roots, the more resistant to disease it becomes and requires less water.
And remember to never mow your lawn when it is wet. It can cause the roots to become compact and can cause ugly brown spots where compaction occurs.
Watering :
Ironically, one of the most common mistakes a homeowner can make is to overwatering their lawn. Obviously, your lawn needs water…but the old saying of “Too much of a good thing can be bad” holds true for your lawn. Applying too much water can lead to a host of problems. Disease and insects can thrive in lawns receiving excessive water and can lead to frustration for the homeowner and ultimately the destruction of a once healthy lawn. Wondering if your lawn stacks up? Try pushing a screwdriver into your lawn…too much resistance and your lawn needs water…too little resistance and you may be over watering!
The homeowner who waters their lawn should also avoid watering at night! By watering at night, your lawn doesn’t get a chance to properly “dry” throughout the day. This can lead to adverse effects in hot, summer months with high humidity. Water in the early morning hours and be wary on days of high humidity!
Fertilizing :
Why Fertilize? Fertilizing a lawn will help maintain a strong, deep root system. It leads to improvements in color, density, uniformity and the overall health of your lawn. We at Beck’s use liquid fertilization (spring, summer, fall applications liquid) with zero phosphorous! Each application is timed specifically to give your lawn what it needs when it needs it and our applicators are trained to use the exact amount of product needed. Let us take the guess work out if it!
Weeds :
While not every area will grow grass easily, weeds can grow just about anywhere and the best defense against weeds is a healthy lawn. By eliminating weeds and undesirable plants, you give your lawn the best chance to grow. And a healthy lawn will benefit not only your home but your wallet as well! Beck’s Ornamental uses high quality, time tested weed control products intended for longer residual control of numerous species of weeds. Got a difficult weed taking over your yard? Each lawn is inspected before treatment to determine the proper weed control to fully benefit your lawn!
Know your lawn care company :
Beck’s Ornamental & Turf Management Technicians are required to be licensed through the Michigan Department of Agriculture. This is a series of testing, reviewing, and maintaining a core study on turf grasses, diseases, insects, and safety and handling procedures of pesticides. Technicians attend ongoing seminars throughout the season to ensure they are using the latest technologies, techniques, and chemicals. Technicians are taught to use not only biological controls but cultural controls as well whenever it is beneficial to the lawn and/or homeowner…leading to a healthier lawn and a happy customer!